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Toy Steamboat, 1878-1890

01

Artifact Overview

Numerous kinds of toys have been produced to look like and simulate the action of real-life modes of transportation. Most of these were designed to be pushed or pulled, such as this steamboat. W. S. Reed Toy Company, founded in 1875, became well-known in the late 1800s for its wooden transportation toys that were covered with brightly colored chromolithographed paper.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Pull toy

Date Made

1878-1890

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

00.3.11128

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Wood (Plant material)
Paper (Fiber product)

Color

Blue
Red
Yellow (Color)
Green

Dimensions

Height: 8.875 in
Width: 5.25 in
Length: 20 in

Inscriptions

Sides of stern: REEDS / TOYS On roof: PATENTED JULY 24, 1877 / IN GREAT BRITAIN, SEPT. 9, 1878
Toy Steamboat, 1878-1890